Martha Stewart's lunch has arrived: an herb omelet made with eggs from her own laying hens, a Greek salad with feta cheese and an arugula salad with string beans. It's delivered to her office as she begins a phone interview. But the timing is — in true Stewart fashion — perfect. After all, that lunch represents the new way she's eating. And it speaks to the theme of the new cookbook, “Meatless: More Than 200 of the Very Best Vegetarian Recipes” (Clarkson Potter, $25) from the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living.

In the book's forward, Stewart makes a case for a shift to a more vegetable-based diet. She's eating less fish and less animal proteins while boosting consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits. “For some odd reason, we've never done a meatless cookbook, and it's time,” she said. “We're proponents of eating good, healthy, simple food. More and more of us in life are looking to the world of vegetables and grains for sustenance.”

We talked to Stewart about “Meatless” and how we can get more vegetables in our diet:

Q: There are a lot of reasons to eat more vegetables, but why are vegetables hot now?

A: I don't think they're hot; they're healthy. There are a lot more stores selling organic vegetables with much lower levels of anything damaging or harmful in them. I can taste the difference. I raise a lot of vegetables.

Q: You say that you've cut back on meat and fish while relying more on vegetables. Is this because of diet or of lifestyle change?

A: It is both lifestyle and diet and the fact that my daughter is almost a vegan. And two new grandchildren who are vegetarians. I have to get with the program. I actually still do eat fish, but very little meat.

Q: There's a great swath of meat-loving Americans whose diets don't include many vegetables. How do you convince meat-and-potatoes fans to try more vegetables?

A: Just try some of the recipes in this book. There are 200 delicious recipes that will satisfy. They taste delicious.

Q: Vegetables and fruit can be expensive. What advice would you give to people who want more variety in their diet but maybe can't afford the fancy mushrooms?

A: Look for things that are on special. Look for vegetables you can buy in bulk. Go to ethnic stores. Ethnic stores are a great source of fruits and vegetables.

Q: Certain foods get a crazy amount of attention. Are we on the verge of fetishizing vegetables?

A: We don't try to create fetishes. Or any type of trend. I think that we're all trying to live longer, healthier lives. It's very well known that a good, healthy diet free of a lot of animal fat will let you live longer.